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The Truth About Cars is dedicated to providing candid, unbiased automobile reviews and the latest in auto industry news.Tue, 24 Mar 2015 14:00:10 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.0.1The Truth About Cars is dedicated to providing candid, unbiased automobile reviews and the latest in auto industry news.The Truth About CarsnoThe Truth About Carseditors@ttac.comeditors@ttac.com (The Truth About Cars)2006-2009The Truth About CarsThe Truth About Cars is dedicated to providing candid, unbiased automobile reviews and the latest in auto industry news.The Truth About Cars » parishttp://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/wp-content/themes/ttac-theme/images/logo.gifhttp://www.thetruthaboutcars.com
Paris Bans Cars With Even Numbered Plates To Cut Pollution, Congestionhttp://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2015/03/paris-bans-cars-even-numbered-plates-cut-pollution-congestion/
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2015/03/paris-bans-cars-even-numbered-plates-cut-pollution-congestion/#commentsMon, 23 Mar 2015 20:53:10 +0000http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/?p=1027905Municipal authorities in Paris banned cars with even numbered license plates from entering the city, in a bit to limit traffic and ease record levels of pollution. Paris implemented similar measures last spring, since weather patterns during the season can amplify levels of pollution in the air. The measures were credited with reducing traffic by […]

Municipal authorities in Paris banned cars with even numbered license plates from entering the city, in a bit to limit traffic and ease record levels of pollution.

Paris implemented similar measures last spring, since weather patterns during the season can amplify levels of pollution in the air. The measures were credited with reducing traffic by 40 percent, though hybrids, EVs and other “clean cars” were exempt.

]]>http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2015/03/paris-bans-cars-even-numbered-plates-cut-pollution-congestion/feed/41Vincent Bollore Bringing ‘Superior’ EV Tech, Car-Sharing Service To US Markethttp://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2015/03/vincent-bollore-bringing-superior-ev-tech-car-sharing-service-us-market/
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2015/03/vincent-bollore-bringing-superior-ev-tech-car-sharing-service-us-market/#commentsThu, 19 Mar 2015 14:00:56 +0000http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/?p=1025009EV consumers in France and beyond needn’t wait months for a Tesla Model S, thanks to Vincent Bollore’s Autolib service and Bluecar EVs. Bloomberg reports the Bollore Group founder and chairman created Autolib to put EV fans behind the wheel of one of his Pininfarina-designed Bluecars for the equivalent of 20 cents per minute. Though […]

EV consumers in France and beyond needn’t wait months for a Tesla Model S, thanks to Vincent Bollore’s Autolib service and Bluecar EVs.

Bloomberg reports the Bollore Group founder and chairman created Autolib to put EV fans behind the wheel of one of his Pininfarina-designed Bluecars for the equivalent of 20 cents per minute. Though the cars aren’t as premium as a Model S, Bollore says it’s the electrical systems powering the Bluecar that matter, proclaiming them to be “far superior” to Tesla’s efforts.

The technology involves lithium metal polymer batteries, developed by Bollore’s Blue Solutions. The batteries, which don’t need liquid electrolytes to store power, are not only lighter in weight than lithium-ion packs, but can be charged up to 3,000 times, and are stable at temps up to 338 F. No one else has gone for the technology thus far, however; Bollore invested €3 billion ($3.2 billion) over three years to develop the EVs and the battery technology now in use by his ventures.

Meanwhile, the billionaire has plans to bring Autolib and Bluecars to the United States, opening the first branch in Indianapolis this June, with Los Angeles a possible second U.S. candidate down the road. Bollore hopes to have 500 cars and 200 stations throughout the city — chosen for its strong car culture and varying weather conditions — by the end of this year.

Back home, Autolib has 3,000 Bluecars and 900 stations in service, with around 70,000 customers paying a €120 ($130 USD) annual fee to drive the EVs; 500 more cars and 200 more stations are expected to come online in 2015.

]]>http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2015/03/vincent-bollore-bringing-superior-ev-tech-car-sharing-service-us-market/feed/17Paris To Begin Rolling Ban On Older Vehicles This Summerhttp://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2015/02/paris-begin-rolling-ban-older-vehicles-summer/
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2015/02/paris-begin-rolling-ban-older-vehicles-summer/#commentsMon, 16 Feb 2015 12:00:21 +0000http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/?p=1002010Want to continue to drive in Paris? You’ll need a new vehicle starting this summer, when the French city begins restricting older vehicles from its heart. Autocar reports buses and trucks registered prior to October 2001 will all be barred from entering the city center starting this summer; cars registered before January 1997 will be […]

Want to continue to drive in Paris? You’ll need a new vehicle starting this summer, when the French city begins restricting older vehicles from its heart.

Autocar reports buses and trucks registered prior to October 2001 will all be barred from entering the city center starting this summer; cars registered before January 1997 will be prohibited in 2016. The restrictions will roll forward through 2020, when cars registered after 2011 and motorcycles registered after this July will be the only ones allowed within.

]]>http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2015/02/paris-begin-rolling-ban-older-vehicles-summer/feed/97Citroën Bestows First Premium DS Model Upon Chinahttp://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2013/12/citroen-bestows-first-premium-ds-model-upon-china/
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2013/12/citroen-bestows-first-premium-ds-model-upon-china/#commentsWed, 25 Dec 2013 00:53:35 +0000http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/?p=687666Unveiled at a special event in Paris last week, Citroën’s DS 5LS is the French automaker’s first premium variant of the DS sub-brand. Don’t expect to park this one at the Louvre, however; the DS 5LS is destined solely for the Chinese market. The 5LS will be the second DS model built at Citroën’s new […]

The 5LS will be the second DS model built at Citroën’s new factory in Shenzhen after the DS5, and will be followed by a China-exclusive SUV and the new DS3 later on in 2014, as well as a larger executive sedan based on the DS9 concept in 2015.

Unlike its hot-hatch brethren, the traditional sedan was made with the Chinese market (and German competitors, such as the Audi A3 Saloon and Mercedes-Benz CLA) in mind. Thus, it measures 185 inches with a 106-inch wheelbase — perfect for party members being chauffeured from Bejing to Macau for a bit of gambling — has a 16-cubic foot trunk, and the interior is filled with opulent materials and high-tech goodies including reversing camera, massaging seats, and air purification.

Under the hood, the front wheels will be driven by either a 1.6-liter turbo providing around 160 to 200 horsepower or a 132-horsepower VTi, with power directed by a six-speed automatic transmission in the 1.6-liter options.

The DS sub-brand aims to move 200,000 units by 2015, along with bringing its home factory up to full capacity. Fifty DS Stores are also planned to open in the largest cities in China in an effort to drive more interest in the 5LS and subsequent models.

The 5LS will make its home market debut during the 2014 Beijing Auto Show this coming April.

]]>http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2013/12/citroen-bestows-first-premium-ds-model-upon-china/feed/8Curbside Classic Outtake: Parisian Bullitthttp://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2010/09/curbside-classic-outtake-parisian-bullitt/
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2010/09/curbside-classic-outtake-parisian-bullitt/#commentsWed, 29 Sep 2010 13:51:35 +0000http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/?p=367098It’s not like I traveled to Paris to look for old American cars. Although there certainly aren’t exactly a lot of vintage French cars on the streets. But the French have always loved American culture, and one of the icons of that is the Mustang. Since they have excellent taste, which particular Mustang might one […]

It’s not like I traveled to Paris to look for old American cars. Although there certainly aren’t exactly a lot of vintage French cars on the streets. But the French have always loved American culture, and one of the icons of that is the Mustang. Since they have excellent taste, which particular Mustang might one expect to encounter in traffic? The best one ever.